As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to make history by becoming the second Indian to fly into space, nearly four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma did in 1984, the Chief of the Air Staff and Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel wish him and the Axiom-4 crew the best.
Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh spoke to Group Captain Shukla through a video call and wished him luck for a "safe and successful trip" to space.
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In a picture shared on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Singh can be seen speaking to Mr Shukla, through a big screen. Sharing the photo on social media, the Indian Air Force (IAF) wrote, "As Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla prepares to embark on Axiom-4 space mission tomorrow, Chief of the Air Staff and all Air Warriors of IAF wish him and the entire crew of Axiom-4 all the best for a safe and successful trip to the International Space Station. This will add a new chapter to the Indian Space Odyssey."
As Group Captain Shubahanshu Shukla prepares to embark on Axiom-4 space mission tomorrow, Chief of the Air Staff and all Air Warriors of IAF wish him and the entire crew of Axiom-4 all the best for a safe and successful trip to the International Space Station. This will add a new… pic.twitter.com/t91lFn6gz5
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 10, 2025
"Touch the sky with glory!" said IAF.
India will take its cosmic leap of faith on June 11 when Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will lift off for the International Space Station for the Axiom-4 mission aboard the SpaceX rocket and Crew Dragon.
As a mission pilot, Group Captain Shukla will fly with three other astronauts -- Dr Peggy Whitson from the United States as mission commander, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, both serving as mission specialists -- as part of the Indo-US mission.
The spacecraft will now lift off at 8:00 am ET (5:30 pm IST) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida after it was postponed by a day due to bad weather.
Group Captain Shukla is the youngest among the four astronaut designates trained under India's Gaganyaan program. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the IAF on June 17, 2006, in the fighter stream. A decorated Fighter Combat Leader and Test Pilot, he has logged approximately 2,000 hours of flying experience across a wide range of aircraft, including the Su-30 MKI, MiG-21, MiG-29, Jaguar, Hawk, Dornier, and An-32.
Also Read | "Enjoy The Ride": Astronaut Community Send Wishes To Shubhanshu Shukla
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